Developments and Trends in Dairy Farm Building

Design and Construction

THAYER CLEAVER
Agrictdtural Research Servic G U S D A , University of Illinois, Urbana
E a r l y d a i r y structures, m a n y of which were
crude and skimpy, had some good points. These
structures, which served as windbreaks and shel-
ters f r o m storms, were made with local mate-
rials such as stones and poles and had a brush
or straw roof. Such shelters were small because
only. a few cows were kept by most f a r m fami-
lies. B u t the cattle didn't necessarily suffer
f r o m lack of adequate shelter. I f they got
skinny and produced little or no milk during
the winter months it was most likely due to a
lack of good feed.
This was the t y p e of structure m a n y of our
g r a n d f a t h e r s had. A f t e r a few years they built
pole f r a m e structures of durable native mate-
rials similar to those of today. Then they piled
straw around the east, north, and west sides
and over the top because straw was more plenti-
ful and cheaper than boards. They built a small
enclosed shelter large enough to hold f r o m 2our
to six cows, where they were tied with a rope
and f e d g r a i n while they were hand milked.
A c t u a l l y these pioneers had a loose-housing sys-
tem, no different in principle f r o m what we
have today.
B u t most of the early dairymen who increased
the size of their herds drifted a w a y f r o m the
loose-housing method. They built larger and
tighter barns, m a n y of which were the general
purpose type which housed several kinds of
livestock with only a p a r t of the building used
for d a i r y cattle. This t y p e of structure to a
large extent has been g r a d u a l l y replaced by the
stall barn which houses only dairy cattle, though
m a n y of the older barns in the midwesteru
states - - both dairy and general purpose types
- - are still in f a i r l y good condition. One of the
problems facing dairymen today is how to re-
model or convert these old buildings into mod-
ern, flexible d a i r y layouts. I t is advisable to
p l a n new buildings with sufficient flexibility
that they can be easily converted to other uses
if the d a i r y enterprise is discontinued.
I t is also i m p o r t a n t to build structures that
are less costly than m a n y that are in use today.
Because of their fixed character and the effect
which their design and arrangements have on
efficient production, d a i r y structures are of
more importance in comparison with other dairy
investments than m a y be indicated by their
relative cost. Although dairy building costs
have not risen as nmch as the cost of d a i r y
cows, labor, feed grains, and h a y since W o r l d
W a r I I , the total d a i r y building investment
amounts to about one-half of the total d a i r y
investment in some midwest areas. The table
below shows the f a r m and dairy investments
in the Chicago and St. Louis areas.

TABLE 1
Far~n and dairy invest~nents, 1947, for 200 farq~s i~, Chicago area a~,d 150 in St. Lo~ds area
Chicago area St. Louis area Both areas
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent
of total of of total of of total of
farm dairy farm dairy farm dairy
invest- invest- invest- invest- invest- invest-
Item ment ment ment ment ment ment
Service buildings ....................................................... 16 46 20 53 17 49
Land and land improvements ................................ 62 (~) 57 (") 60 (~L)
Power and machinery b.............................................. 5 3 8 4 6 3
l~roductive livestock ................................................. 10 30 7 23 9 27
Feed ........ :....-............................................................. 7 21 8 20 8 21
Total ........................................................... 100 100 100 100 100 100
" Use of land was charged to the dairy enterprise in the form of feed costs for all farm-grown feeds
ntilized.
b Includes investment in horses and mules. This item covers only dairy equipment when referring to
the dairy enterprise.
t392
 OUR INDUSTRY TODAY 1393

'lr

MILKROOM

LITTER ALLEY
I

i FUTURE

HAY
'
~

FEED ALLEY AND

EEO, BEDDING
. _ ~ B-LN_~ • =!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STORAGE bl
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HAY AND BEDDING STORAGE I

Fro. 1. A low cost, expansible, one-story stall barn. Although the plan shows 10 stalls initially it is
also suituble for 12, 14, and 16 stalls initially with expansion to 20, 24, 28, and 32 stalls, respectively.
~'uture expansion of stalls and feed storages is shown with dotted lines. The future feed storage area
can be low cost, pole frame type of construction with paved floor optional.

H o w Can Stall Barns Be Improved?
~[uch has bee~ done since W o r l d W a r I I to
reduce dairy building costs and to improve the
serviceability of the stall barn. I f the structure
is limited to what is essential for production of
quality milk, it can cost less than m a n y of those
that have been built in the past. F i g u r e 1
illustrates a one-story barn which has a number
of desirable f e a t u r e s : (a) it will cost less to
build than a two-story b a r n ; (b) it has an effi-
cient a r r a n g e m e n t of wol'k areas f o r the feed-
ing and milking operations; (c) it is nmre flex-
ible, that is, it can be more easily expanded and
with less cost than a two-story barn, and (d)
bedding, hay, and concentrates can be stored
and fed more easily and economically than in
most two-story barns, mainly because storage
is at ground level. Silage can be stored in an
u p r i g h t silo at the left end of the feed alley or

T6~O"
"I
BEDDING STORAGE
BALED HAY
PEN
TEMPORARY FENCE

N
RESTING AREA
21'_O"
~=='~
~ i ~ . ~ ~~HOLDING
% ~ ' AREA
~ [ PENS L
z L ,
= ~v,'r~. cup .... %0u~. F~0~T:OPe:. ~ : "~::::

j.
IIT~,
LOADtNG

SiLO

FIG. '2. A loose-housing layout suitable for a 20-cow herd or for 25 cows if the young stock are housed
elsewhere.
1394 J O U R N A L OF D A I R Y S C I E N C E

in a horizontal silo located along one side of resting shelters outside. Bedding is not used
the paved lot from which it is fed into fence in the milking barn, comparatively little man-
bunks or is self-fed. ure aecuumlates there, and the cleaning of the
Many of the older two-story barns have lofts milking barn is thus simplified. A power scoop
w hich were designed for loose hay and many of with a blade is used to clean the feeding and
those built more recently have sufficient capa- resting areas. This is actually a conversion t o
city to store loose hay, though baled hay or a loose-housing system.
chopped hay may be used. Such lofts may have
twice the volume they need. Some unnecessarily W i l l I t P a y to C o n v e r t to Loose-Housing?
large lofts have been built because the dairyman
The loose-housing system is a flexible ar-
thought they looked better. Such structures are
rangement of buildings and open lots developed
unnecessarily expensive, and they add to the
for efficient milking and management of dairy
labor and expense of storing and handling
herds. In this system the cows are kept in an
feeds. Dairymen have also learned that the
open building, lot, or pasture and are not con-
feeding of silage or larger volumes of silage
than were formerly thought practicable has re- fined in stalls except while being milked. In
duced the amount of hay needed and hence the contrast, the familiar stall barn has a stall for
each cow where they are confined during cold
hay storage space needed.
weather except for short exercise periods.
Frequently, the amount of available labor
Cows handled under the loose-housing system
for the daffy chores limits the size of the dairy
do not suffer from cold because in winter they
herd. When the labor supply is suddenly re-
grow thick coats of hair and have shelter from
duced and satisfactory hired labor is not avail-
wind, rain, and snow. During the winter in cold
able, the only alternatives frequently are to
climates manure and bedding are allowed to
reduce the size of the herd to the number the
accuumlate in a resting area to form a soft bed
farm family can care for; discontinue the
on which the cows like to lie. The manure pack
dairy enterprise, or change to a system which
generates some heat. I f well managed, cows
will require less time, travel, and labor. The
keep as clean or cleaner than in a stall barn
milking operations may be the labor bottleneck.
and have less trouble from stiff hocks and swol-
In such eases the addition of an elevated stall
len knees. In case of fire there is little danger
milking room - - one of the types shown in
of losing animals, since they are not confined
Figure 5 - - will make it possible to care for
the dairy herd with less labor. in a building.
Many dairymen have found that combining The cows are milked in a separate room or
a stall barn with a loose-housing system means building that usually accommodates only part
that less time and effort are needed for doing of the herd at one time. Cows enter singly or
the daily chores. F o r example, they may use in groups and are released immediately after
the stall barn only for milking, during which milking. An expanding herd can be accommo-
cows are fed their concentrates. H a y and silage dated by milking more cows in a stall and, if
are fed in the open paved lot or in an open necessary, by using a larger milk cooler.
front shelter, and the cattle have a separate H a y and silage can be partly or completely
resting area which is bedded. As soon as cows self-fed, and the use of tractor manure loaders
are milked they are returned to the feeding- and power scoops will eliminate hand labor in
• w[
BEDDING STORAGE i
NORTH -3~ at ground ieveI I

12' open~ng -
two 6..5' doors at each RESTING AREA
end of building

• F.;Y s;oRAo(
I at ground level

14' gate ':'""::'" : " : H ' gate

'; :: : ~A,.,EO : ~ i~ !.i

STACK SILO" 14"x 60" " "

gote : . . . ! ~. ! :

FIG. 3. Only 3 to 6 inches of feeding space per cow are needed in this silage self-feeding arrange-
ment. The movable feeding fence can be placed on the floor or with a bunker silo supported from a
cross pole on the walls. If not self-fed, silage can be fed in limited amounts in the fence bunk. Hay is
fed on the open side of the barn along the hay storage area. This helps prevent unnecessary animal
traffic in the resting area. The wide gates and doors provide a drive-through for convenient storing of
hay and bedding. This layout is suitable for both dairy and beef cattle.
 OUR INDUSTRY TODAY 1395

FEEDIN G AREA
i
i
MANGER
; ........ FEED ALLEY

P NS

BEDDED A R E A

FIG. 4. A general purpose barn remodeled for loose housing. Unnecessary partitions and inner walls
have been removed and doors widened to accommodate power machinery. The milking plant with 3 ele-
vated stalls is new.

cleaning the feeding and resting areas and open
lot.
The loose-housing system has some disad-
vantages. Men caring for the animals are more
exposed to weather than in a stall barn. I f the
resting and feeding areas are not definitely
separated, twice as nmch bedding may be re-
quired to keep cows clean as in a stall barn.
However, if the system is well arranged and
managed, little more, and sometimes much less,
bedding is required than in a stall barn.
The Parts of a Loose-Housing System
A complete loose-housing layout has (a) a
farm milking plant whi(~h includes a milking
romn or barn, a milkroom or milkhouse, and
usually a concentrate feed bin; (b) roughage
and concentrate feeding facilities for cows and
young stock; (c) storage space for hay, silage,
and bedding; (d) resting areas for adult and
young stock; (e) maternity, hospital, and calf
pens; and (f) an open. lot, which should be at
least partially paved.
I n the mild climates of the South and South-
west, where cows are on pasture most of the
year, building requirements are greatly simpli-
fied and only the farm milking plant with a
holding pen may be needed.
Figure 2 illustrates the essential parts of a
loose-housing system. Many different arrange-
ments are possible, but the important thing is
to keep the structures, including lots and fences,
simple, serviceable, and economical. An effi-
cient arrangement is also convenient and en-
courages good management, and most of the
drudgery and heavy labor are eliminated.
The layout in Figure 2 is planned for a herd
of 20 to 25 cows, but the two elevated milking
stalls are suitable for herds as small as 8 to 10
cows. For herds much larger thsn 25 cows the
feeding-bedding barn would be lengthened by
one or more pole frame sections and more milk-
ing stalls would be added. An upright silo is
indicated for open lot feeding of silage but
a horizontal silo such as a trench, stack, or
combination trench-stack (commonly called a
"bunker" silo) may be located on a convenient
side of the open lot for limited feeding of silage
in fence bunks or self-feeding direct from the
silo. Hay also can be fed from a simple roofed
shelter in the open lot which has hay feeding
mangers on two or more sides.
The feeding of hay and silage in the open
lot, or self-feeding, has proven very satisfactory
in most states and there is increasing evidence
that it is satisfactory even in the northernmost
states where severe winter weather occurs. Al-
though pole frame type of construction is indi-
cated in Figures 2 and 3, other types of con-
struction may be even better. For example, a
trussed roof, which would cost only a little
more, would eliminate the interior poles and
give a freer working space for power equip-
ment. Figure 3 shows a suggested layout which
is equally suitable for beef cattle. For dairy
cattle the addition of a milking arrangement
such as is shown in Figure 2 is all that needs
to be added.
Old barns usually can be converted more
economically and satisfactorily to a loose-hous-
ing system than to an improved stall barn. See
Figure 4. Frequently all that is needed is the
addition .of a small farm milking plant with
two to five elevated stalls, the removal of all
unnecessary partitions and obstructions in the
old barn, and making some of the doors wider
for power equipment. Sometimes dairy stalls
in the old barn can continue to'serve satisfac-
torily for hay or silage feeding.
1396 J O U R N A L OF D A I R Y S C I E N C E

IN

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L, EEO ! O~T BIN I MANGER
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MILKING STALLS
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I | OPERATOR AREA El -~ ,
OPERATOR AREA
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E F

:FIG. 5. P l a n s A, B, C, and D have side-entering elevated stalls. P l a n E has elevated walk-through

stalls and stall p a r t i t i o n s are moved into the o p e r a t o r area when cows enter and leave the stalls. All
p l a n s m a y have more stalls t h a n the n u m b e r shown. :For a single o p e r a t o r a f o u r t h in-line stall added
to the 3 in p l a n D would require more time and s t e p s t h a n the 4 stalls in plans A and B. P l a n F is the
least efficient of all. P l a n D has a convenient feed bin with floor the same height as the milking stalls.
 OUR INDUSTRY
T y p e s of M i l k i n g R o o m s
There are a number of milking room ar-
rangements which are almost equally satisfac-
tory but are intended for different situations.
I n general, the elevated stall milking ~ooms
are preferred because they are smaller~ cost
less, and permit easier and faster milking oper-
ations than floor level milking rooms. F i g u r e 5
- - A, B, C, D, E - - are elevated stall types.
As an economy measure, floor level milking
stalls may be justifiable where a few stalls in
an old barn can be cleaned up, remodeled, sealed
off from the rest of the old barn and made to
comply with quality milk production regula-
tions. Figure 5F shows a floor level arrange-
ment of this type. I n other words it costs less
to remodel a few stalls thau all the stalls in an
old barn to meet the requirements for quality
milk production, but an elevated stall farm
T r e n d s and C h a l l e n g e s in t h e T r a i n i n g o f D a i r y
Technologists
I-I. A. BENI)IXEN
State College of Washington
Considerable concern is shown everywhere
today about the low enrollment in the field of
d a i r y technology at our colleges. A recent sur-
vey by DR. I. A. GOULD of Ohio State Univer-
sity revealed that the total number of degrees
in dairy technology granted by colleges in the
U. S. dropped 46% from 1950 to 1953. There
are, no doubt, numerous reasons for this rather
alarming situation. I t must be remembered,
however, that 1950 was a boom year for the
number of all students graduated from Ameri-
can colleges, because of the flood of war veter-
ans taking advantage of government aid for
education.
A t the State College of Washington a study
has been made of the general trend in the num-
ber of various graduates at our institution over
a longer period of time. The accompanying
chart shows the percentage changes in the total
number of academic degrees granted to male
students during the last 25 years: (1) in dairy
manufacturing; (2) in all branches of agricul-
ture, exclusive of agricultural education and
agricultural engineering; and (3) in all divi-
sions of the College, using as a base the average
number of such degrees granted during the first
5 years of this period, namely, the years of
1928 through 1932. These averages were: 4.2
£or dairy manufacturing students, 32.2 for
students in agriculture, and 310.2 for all stu-
dents in the College.
I t is interesting to note that during the de-
pression years of the early thirties the number
of male graduates in dairy manufacturing in-
creased at a higher rate than the number of
TODAY 1397
milking plant is more economical over a period
of years if capital is available for building it.
Compare the Costs
A complete loose-housing layout with all
necessary equipment will cost from one-half to
two-thirds as much as a stall barn completely
equipped for the same size herd. F r o m the
above table it is evident that about one-half of
the f a r m dairy investment is in dairy service
buildings. Studies over a period of years have
shown that considerable savings can be made
by more careful planning of stall barns and
by using more one-story barns, but much
greater savings usually can be made in time,
labor, and investment with a loose-housing sys-
tem. By an efficient, well arranged loose-hous-
ing plan, the building investment may be low-
ered by as much as 50%. I t is well worth
considering.
male graduates in all of agriculture and in the
college as a whole, which is in accord with the
comnlon observation that dairy operations usu-
ally are most active when times are hard. Dur-
+ 700
"600~ of I
+~oo;
- I
__ I
4300:
I
~ .200~
¢ IO0:
0
~.,~ .... ~
-roo~;J
L~.a
Ye,a
ing World W a r II, of course, the number of all
male graduates dropped to very near zero. Dur-
ing the postwar years the greatest increase in
male graduates was in the College of Agricul-
ture as a whole, and the lowest in dairy manu-
facturing. I t is possible that relative prosper-
ity among the f a r m population, together with
the government aid to student war veterans,
brought many farm youths to college who other-
wise would not have come. Dairy manufactur-
ing, however, seemed to have less appeal than
numerous white collar jobs which became avail-